A connector used for connecting a flat cable is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Publication (JP-B) No. H3-45511. This connector comprises a contact-side insulator retaining conductive contacts, and a cable-side insulator retaining a flat cable. The cable-side insulator is attachable/detachable relative to the contact-side insulator. When the cable-side insulator is attached to the contact-side insulator, wires of the flat cable are brought into pressure contact with the contacts. In this manner, the flat cable is connected to the connector.
In the connector of this type, it is necessary that the contacts and the flat cable are securely fixed/retained relative to the contact-side insulator and the cable-side insulator, respectively. The contacts can be retained relatively easily by providing mutual engagement structures between the contact-side insulator and the contacts. For example, by optionally contriving a shape of contacts, it is possible to engage the contacts with the contact-side insulator.
On the other hand, since the flat cable has a standardized simple shape as is well known, it is relatively difficult to retain it relative to the cable-side insulator. Movement of the flat cable relative to the cable-side insulator impedes the pressure-contact contention between the wires of the flat cable and the contacts, and thus should be avoided. To this end, for example, an attempt has been made to stick a flat cable onto a cable-side insulator using adhesives, or to form a curved portion on a flat cable in advance and engage a cable-side insulator with the curved portion.
According to those conventional techniques, however, the retention of the flat cable relative to the cable-side insulator is insufficient. Further, complicated facilities are required for automating assembly of the connector, which thus raises a problem also in terms of economics.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a connector for a flat cable, which can securely retain the flat cable and economically cope with automation of assembly.